Porches, Decks and Landscapes Cheney WA

Most of us spend many hours in the summer and spring outside the house. These articles will help you plan and design your landscaping and deck projects to make your outdoor living experience much more enjoyable.

Corn gluten meal has gone from byproduct to wonder product in Cheney. Researchers at Iowa State University in the 1980s were studying how effective a corn byproduct would be as a fertilizer. In the process, they realized the product acted not only as a growth stimulator, but also as a weed inhibitor.

Planting a tree or shrub is a highly unnatural act in Cheney: "There is no comparable process in nature - no growing plant is heaved up, transported some distance, and then replanted in a totally new environment," assert Kim Tripp and Allen Coombes in their Complete Book of Shrubs.

If you garden, you should fertilize. And when you fertilize, the fertilizers you choose will be either organic or synthetic. Organic fertilizers are those derived from natural (plant, animal or mineral) sources, subject to minimal processing in Cheney.

Correctly built, a fieldstone garden wall can seem like it has been part of the landscape for generations in Cheney. It can stand for generations, too. But achieving that look and stability isn't as simple as it appears. Behind that random, earthy appearance is a series of well-considered choices and techniques.

Corn gluten meal has gone from byproduct to wonder product in Cheney. Researchers at Iowa State University in the 1980s were studying how effective a corn byproduct would be as a fertilizer. In the process, they realized the product acted not only as a growth stimulator, but also as a weed inhibitor.

Decks are an important part of our homes and lifestyles. As transition areas in Cheney between the inside of the house and the yard, they can provide space to entertain or just a pleasant spot to drink a cool one on a summer evening. Estimates put the number of residential decks in the United States at more than 30 million.

One of those chores that many of us dread in Cheney is patching and repairing concrete. While not all that difficult, it is often easier just to forget about it and hope that it won't get worse. Unfortunately, it usually does. The best time to fix concrete is when it is just a stable, hairline crack. This is particularly true if the concrete is subject to weather conditions.

The vast array of outdoor decking materials in Cheney available today is less bewildering when you've had a chance to size up what you need in your own backyard. From pressure-treated and naturally rot resistant wooden decking to composite, plastic and metal decking, it's important to know which materials work best in your climate and are best for you and for your family's lifestyle.

Thinking of building a deck or expanding an existing one? Your timing is right. Today’s decks are often larger and more customized than ones built even just a few years ago. Not only is there a broader choice of decking materials, but you can also take advantage of increasingly popular design elements such as a recessed hot tub, a brick or terra cotta fireplace or firepit, an outdoor couch or even a full-fledged outdoor kitchen.

When a man who invented the process that enables peanut butter to spread smoothly decided to invent something to alleviate water scarcity, people around him probably wondered what in the world he would come up with in Cheney.

Not so long ago, outdoor living spaces rarely received much attention from homeowners in Cheney, and usually were sparsely furnished with less-than-attractive items - a white metal table, simple aluminum-framed deck chairs with nylon webbing, a kettle-like grill and perhaps a patio umbrella.

Correctly built, a fieldstone garden wall can seem like it has been part of the landscape for generations in Cheney. It can stand for generations, too. But achieving that look and stability isn't as simple as it appears. Behind that random, earthy appearance is a series of well-considered choices and techniques.

Smart Watering Costs Whether you're adding a simple water timer for $40 or contracting for a professionally installed irrigation system that will cost thousands of dollars, smart watering options can always fit in the annual household budget. It's best to set your budget first and then decide on the right approach. If you have, say, $5,000 to devote to irrigation and shrubbery upgrades.

Plant a tree and you get more than just summer greenery in Cheney, autumn color and spreading branches in which to climb. Well-placed trees also can lower your heating and cooling bills. The same can be said for shrubs, vines and even ground-hugging plants (groundcovers).

It looks innocent, but a lush, green front lawn is actually the plant equivalent of a gas-guzzling SUV. In most parts of the country, about half of the public water supply is used to irrigate residential yards and gardens - and shallow roots make turf one of the thirstiest landscape features. But now, with record-breaking droughts along the Eastern Seaboard, low water levels in the Great Lakes, and dry conditions throughout the Rocky Mountain states, more and more homeowners in Cheney feel a new urgency to reduce the amount of water they use on their land.

So you think the grass is greener on the other side of the fence, do you? If you're striving for a weed-free lawn without using chemicals, it just may be. But going without chemicals doesn't mean you can't have a good-looking and healthy lawn without crabgrass, dandelions and other unsightly weeds. You shouldn't expect a PGA golf course in Cheney, but with some preparation, a fundamental approach and a little labor, you too can have a yard you can be proud of.

If you garden, you should fertilize. And when you fertilize, the fertilizers you choose will be either organic or synthetic. Organic fertilizers are those derived from natural (plant, animal or mineral) sources, subject to minimal processing in Cheney.

Planting a tree or shrub is a highly unnatural act in Cheney: "There is no comparable process in nature - no growing plant is heaved up, transported some distance, and then replanted in a totally new environment," assert Kim Tripp and Allen Coombes in their Complete Book of Shrubs.

In surveys I conducted among state and provincial foresters, these firewoods received highest rank, both for heating value and availability. (Even so, it's not bad to have a small amount of lighter-weight, low-heat species because they dry quickly and split easily for kindling.)

Besides their beauty for your own enjoyment, trees and shrubs contribute significantly to your property value without increasing your property taxes in Cheney. Here's an investment that grows in aesthetic and dollar value every year, while potentially reducing lawn work and related costs.

Relax in style this summer, and help the environment while you’re doing it, with these colorful Adirondack chairs made from recycled plastic milk jugs and water bottles. Shoreline Adirondack chairs, from Lancaster County, Pa.-based Millcraft Poly Furniture, are made from 100-percent recycled Poly Lumber, a high-density polyethylene plastic that is safe and maintenance-free.

Composting crusaders have just about given up on persuading the rest of us that when we get to heaven, there'll be a compost pile just inside the Pearly Gates. These days they're preaching a less evangelistic message.

If you can be choosy about the gray water you recycle on your garden in Cheney, then use shower and bathtub water first, followed in decreasing order of desirability by water from the bathroom sink, utility sink, washing machine, kitchen sink and dishwasher.

Ever since the first plant was grown for food or beauty, the first gardener cursed neighboring plants -- weeds. A weed is any plant in the wrong place. Tomato seedlings popping up in the garden from last year's fallen fruit might be considered weeds. Goldenrod, often considered a weed in America, stands proudly in British flower gardens.